Thinkers and Doers

How Can Communicators Be More Trustworthy Online?

Posted on July 29, 2010 by WE Studio D — 3 Comments

Guest post by Lezli Goheen, Account Director

newspaper catIt’s no surprise that digital content is becoming an increasingly important way for people to consume information.  We know that a printed newspaper in your hands is a dying concept, and the recent findings of a study by USC’s Annenberg School reinforces that reality.

The speed, variety and richness of web content has changed the game and people now rely on the internet and television as their primary sources of information. In fact, about 25 percent of people who read newspapers said they wouldn’t miss the print edition if it ceased. Not terribly surprising, but another nail in print media coffin and another reminder to us to continue to immerse ourselves in digital content and become smarter and smarter on key influentials for our businesses.

The study goes beyond the premise that people are consuming more online content, to point out that there’s skepticism among consumers about the reliability of the information they’re getting online. They have limited trust in what they’re consuming, with about 25% of those surveyed saying only half or less of the information on sites is reliable.

As communicators, how can we ensure that the people consuming  our content view it as trustworthy and reliable? There are many ways to accomplish this, but I’ll get the discussion started with a few ways to bring credibility to your online content:

  • Mind Your Tone: “The first of its kind, cutting edge, innovative, game changing.”  Too often exaggerated marketing-speak makes its way into our communications and put people’s truth sensors on high alert.  Use a critical eye and say no to language that is simply not believable.
  • Think like the customer: If people can relate to the product or service and see themselves using it, they’ll be more likely to believe what you’re saying. Instead of presenting a laundry list of product features, talk about the product benefits and differentiators, in plain and simple terms.
  • Just the Facts: Use third-party evidence, end-user testimonials and research data to support your claims. Having a credible source  say, “I love this product because it really did help me do all the things it said it would,” goes a lot further than saying it yourself.

What other ways can we ensure the online content we’re creating is trustworthy?  Please share your ideas!

Image by doviende

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3 Comments

Micheal Foley on July 29, 2010

There’s another way of looking at this. The fact that more people are questioning the information presented to them is a GOOD thing, not a bad thing.

I think the trust society has placed in mass media over the past half century (or more) is borderline alarming. I see this trend of online news consumption and increased skepticism as a renaissance of rational thought for society.

In short, people are learning to think instead of learning to believe. While that presents new challenges for the communications industry, I think it’s a good path for society to take.

Lezli Goheen on July 29, 2010

Here are the top line figures from the research.
• As sources of information newspapers rank below the Internet or television. Only 56% of Internet users ranked newspapers as important or very important sources of information for them – a decrease from 60% in 2008 and below the Internet (78%), and television (68%).
• 18% of Internet users said they stopped a subscription to a newspaper or magazine because they now get the same or related content online – down slightly from 22 percent in 2008, but nevertheless a strong indication that print newspapers can be sacrificed by a significant percentage of Internet users.
• If the print edition of their newspaper ceased, 59% of newspaper readers said they would read the online edition of the publication; only 37% said they would instead read the print edition of another newspaper.
• 22% percent of users who read newspapers said they would not miss the print edition of their newspaper.
• 61% of users said that only half or less of online information is reliable — a new low level for the Digital Future Project.
• Even more disturbing is that 14% of Internet users said that only a small portion or none of the information online is reliable – a percentage that has grown for the past three years and is now at the highest level thus far in the Digital Future Project.
• Also revealing is the percentage of users who have limited trust even in the Web sites they visit regularly: although 78% said that most or all of the information on the sites they visit regularly is reliable (a decline from the previous two years), 22% of users say that only one half or less of information on sites they visit regularly is reliable.
• Only 46% of users said they have some trust or a lot of trust in the Internet in general. Nine percent of users have no trust in the Internet.

Grady Locklear on July 30, 2010

I have to agree with Mike. The term that meant, in the days of the Greeks and Romans, the “art of persuasion” now has a negative connotation: Rhetoric. As Mike said, the trust society has placed in mass media is alarming because communicators have failed to persuade responsibly.

When the sources of information are limited, the message can be controlled. By contrast, the shift to new media as a knowledge source has spread out the voices of authority – and the former authorities can’t stand it. Just look at the ongoing case of the leaked Afghanistan papers. Truth is harder to hide.

Communicators online have to accept that transparency is the future. They can do that in just the ways you listed: use believable language (by actually being truthful); think like the customer (YOU, the communicator, are a consumer too – so be yourself!).

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